Customers line up for Verizon iPhone

Melissa Rosenberg decided to treat herself to an early birthday present this morning by standing outside in the cold.

A day before her 29th birthday, Rosenberg made sure she arrived at 3:30 a.m. to secure the No. 1 spot in line as she and others eagerly waited for the Camarillo Verizon store on Ventura Boulevard to open.

The Oxnard resident had one goal in mind — to walk out of the store with a new Verizon iPhone.

"I have wanted an iPhone for years and when I heard it was coming to Verizon, I knew I had to get it," said Rosenberg. "It's just the ultimate phone, and I am a Mac person ... so this is a present to myself."

Today marks the official in-store launch of the Apple iPhone 4 on the Verizon wireless network. Across the country, people stood in lines for hours while Verizon employees prepared for the expected onslaught of customers.

Customers had a chance to preorder the phone Feb. 3 through the Verizon website or by phone, but many could not complete their orders because the system overloaded.

Verizon officials said the company prepared its employees and tested its systems to make today's process as informative, pleasant and quick as possible.

About 15 Verizon employees were on hand at the Camarillo store, which opened by 7 a.m. About an hour later, most of the customers were already choosing their new plans and iPhone accessories.

Joe Yingling drove his 19-year old son, Andy, to the Camarillo branch.

"We tried to preorder, but we just couldn't get through on the Web," said Joe Yingling of Camarillo. "We even tried calling on the phone and that didn't work. We tried a few days after, and that didn't work. So we just decided to come here early."

Ben Jimenez paid $507.22 for a new iPhone for himself and his girlfriend, Hilda Gonzalez. "This is my early Valentine's Day gift for her," Jimenez said. "I just figured it's worth getting the best phone with the best service. You can't go wrong."